Suitcase divider

ABSTRACT

A divider for a suitcase for preventing suits and other normally hanging garments from becoming wrinkled comprises a U-shaped flexible wall member which establishes a gentle fold for the garments when the suitcase is closed. The base portion of this member contains offset apertures which frictionally engage the garments to prevent their sliding out of position during transit, and the roundness of the apex portion is controlled by a directing strut to assure the effectiveness of the divider irregardless of the degree of loading of the suitcase.

United States Patent [191 Wilt [ 1 May 22, 1973 [54] SUITCASE DIVIDER [76] Inventor: Ted Wilt, 1410 Hinman Avenue,

Evanston, 111. 60201 [22] Filed: Sept. 3, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 177,556

[52] US. Cl. ..190/4l B, 190/51 [51] Int. Cl ..A45c 5/12 [58] Field of Search ..190/41 B, 41 C, 51; 206/7 R, 7 C, 46 AP [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,873,830 2/1959 Wilt ..l90/41 B 2,362,807 11/1944 Dresner ...190/4l B 3,628,720 12/1971 Schmedding ..229/55 1,321,997 11/1919 Duberstein ..206/7 C UX Primary ExaminerDonald F. Norton Attorney-Watson D. Harbaugh et a1.

[57] ABSTRACT A divider for a suitcase for preventing suits and other normally hanging garments from becoming wrinkled comprises a U-shaped flexible wall member which establishes a gentle fold for the garments when the suitcase is closed. The base portion of this member contains offset apertures which frictionally engage the garments to prevent their sliding out of position during transit, and the roundness of the apex portion is controlled by a directing strut to assure the effectiveness of the divider irregardless of the degree of loading of the suitcase.

5 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures Patented May 22, 1973 FIG. 4

H I'I'W."

lNVENTOR: TED W/LT fl /a d f .IllllllII'lll'lltllllllllilllll! Attorneys SUITCASE DIVIDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to luggage, and more particularly to an improved garment shaping divider for a wardrobe type suitcase.

To prevent suits and other normally hanging garments from becoming unduly wrinkled while being stored in a suitcase, such garments are generally suspended on hangers supported in the lid or cover section of the suitcase, and folded crosswise to and substantially medially of their length so that their lower end resides in the base or body section of the luggage. Upon closing luggage thus arranged, the garments must fold along the line of the hinged connection between the body and lid sections of the luggage, the sharpness of the fold depending on the number of garments, the thickness of the luggage, and the volume of other clothing contained therein. Should this fold be too sharp, undesirable wrinkles and creases may be formed in the garments.

To limit the sharpness of the fold, some types of wardrobe luggage include a rigid bar arrangement over which the garments are folded, the bar being carried by a pair of pivotally mounted struts, in a spaced-apart parallel relationship to the hinged connection between the body and lid sections of the luggage. In theory this bar is supposed to prevent a sharp bend from developing, but in practice variations in the number and type of garments often render it ineffective for this purpose.

A more satisfactory arrangement for reducing wrinkles has been to employ a clothes divider within the suitcase, such as that described and claimed in the prior patent of the present applicant, U.S. Pat. No. 2,873,830, issued Feb. 17, 1959. The divider in that case comprises a resilient U-shaped confining and fold ing element which coacts with the stored garments and other items of clothing and with the walls of the luggage to apply a uniform smoothing and confining outward pressure to the garments along their fold zones. Not only does this prevent undue wrinkling and creasing, but it also applies an inward restraining pressure on the other items of clothing stored within the element for maximum utilization of available storage space.

While this device has provided generally satisfactory results, there has occasionally been a problem with very tightly and very loosely packed suitcases in that the fold or apex portion of the divider does not remain sufficiently rounded to prevent a crease from forming. Furthermore, in a loosely packed suitcase the need for improved frictional contact between the base portion of the divider element and the garment has occasionally arisen, especially with garments manufactured of smooth fabrics.

Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved clothes divider for use in luggage.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a new and improved clothes divider which prevents suits and other hanging garments from being creased or wrinkled when packed in a suitcase.

It is a still more specific object of the present invention to provide an improved clothes divider which offers better protection against wrinkles under extremes of heavy and light suitcase packing.

The invention is directed to a suitcase clothes divider for preventing garments stored within a suitcase from becoming wrinkled, the divider comprising a flexible semi-resilient wall member of generally U-shaped cross-section having a substantially planar base portion at one end and a rounded apex portion defining a convex folding anvil for said garments at the other end, the overall dimensions of the member being less than the corresponding interior dimensions of the suitcase; and means for restricting the motion of the other end relative to the base portion to prevent the roundness of the apex portion from being unduly diminished by compression forces resulting from the suitcase being closed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in the several figures of which like reference numerals identify like elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the invention employed in a rigid, rectangularwalled suitcase;

FIG. 2 is an elevational transverse sectional view of the suitcase of FIG. 1 in its open position;

FIG. 3 is an elevational end view, partially in section, of the suitcase of FIG. 1 in its closed position;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a suitcase divider constructed in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 5 is an elevational end view of the suitcase divider of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional side view showing the attachment of the directing strut to the top portion of the suitcase divider;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional side view showing the attachment of the directing strut to the bottom portion of the suitcase divider; and

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional side view of a representative offset aperture contained in the bottom portion of the suitcase divider.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, the invention is shown as it would be used in a wardrobe type suitcase. The suitcase comprises a base or body portion 1 of generally rectangular configuration, having an open top defined by upwardly extending, opposed, vertical end walls and side walls, joined to a flat, horizontal bottom wall. A complementary, substantially rectangular lid section 2, has downwardly extending, opposed end and side walls complementary to the corresponding walls of base section 1, and is hinged to section 1 by suitable hinge elements 3 along the juxtaposed edges of the rear side walls of sections 1 and 2. A carrying handle 4 and locking means 5 are suitably secured to the front wall of base section 1. When the suitcase is open lid section 2 is supported by hinges 3 in a position substantially vertical to the upper end of the rear wall of base 1 and stabilized in that position by a pair of collapsible brace elements 6. A bracket 7, for supporting one or more clothes hangers 8, is secured to the inner surface of lid 2 adjacent the mid portion of the upper front side wall. One or more garments 9, which for example may comprise a mans suit, and are shown as such, may be draped over hanger 8 and suspended in lid 2 with their dependent, lower halves disposed to extend into the bottom wall of the bottom section of the suitcase. As thus arranged the garments 9 overlie the hinged juncture of sections 1 and 2 at approximately their medial point, and must necessarily fold cross-wise at this upon closing of the case.

To satisfactorily accomplish the aforementioned folding without undue wrinkling and creasing, and to securely hold and partially support the garments with a gentle yielding restraining pressure, there is provided a suitcase divider in the form of a flexible semiresilient wall member of generally U-shaped crosssection having overall dimensions corresponding approximately to those of the inside of the lower section 2 of the suitcase. This element may be formed of any suitable material, as for example, cast, extruded or molded plastic. Divider 10, while formed primarily of a single planar sheet of semi-resilient plastic, may be thought of as comprising at one end a substantially planar base portion 11, and at the other end a rounded apex portion 12, defining a convex folding anvil 13 for the garments.

In normal use, the garments 9 are suspended in the manner previously described and shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, and the divider element is deposited over the lower dependent end of the garment in section 1 of the suitcase with its planar base portion 11 resting on the upper surface of the garment, and in compressive engagement with the adjacent surface of the garments overriding the rear wall of section 1 parallel to the line of hanging between sections 1 and 2 of the suitcase.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, the interior space of the U-shaped element 10 may be utilized for the storage of compressible garments or clothing, such as shirts 14a, etc. Upon closing the suitcase, garments 9 are folded cross-wise of their length, generally along their medial section and about the curved wall of the anvil portion 13 of the element 10. Such folding during closing gradually compresses the resilient and flexible curved U-shaped element into the position shown in FIG. 3, applying an upward, downward and rearward pressure to garments 9, engaging them snugly and maintaining them in a smooth and unwrinkled arrangement. Concurrently, upon the described closing and compressive flexing of the U-shaped divider element 10, the shirts 14 or like compressible clothing items are compressed and securely locked in position between the lower portion 11 and apex portion 12 of divider 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, divider 10, in accordance with the invention, further incorporates restricting means in the form of a restraining strut 14 to assure that its apex portion 12 will not become unduly depressed during heavy loading of the suitcase or in the absence of compressible clothes such as shirts 14 within its interior. This is accomplished because strut 14 forces the end or forward edge of apex portion 12 towards the front end of base portion 11, and away from anvil 13, independent of the quantity of clothes packed within the divider. Furthermore, by maintaining a semi-rigid connection between the base and apex portions, strut l4 prevents the divider from expanding out of its U shape, thereby in some instances facilitatin packing and storage. 1

Strut 14 may take the form of a tube of light-weight metal or semi-rigid plastic material, with its ends of appropriate shape and length to cooperate with the particular fastening means employed. As shown in FIG. 6, the strut employed in the illustrated embodiment is of pointtubular cross-section, and is fastened to the apex portion 12 of the divider by a rivet-like member 16, which is force-fit into the strut to hold it into engagement with portion 12. Theadvantage of this arrangement include its ease of assembly and that it maintains the possibility of future dis-assembly, should that be desirable to facilitate storage.

As an aid in inserting and removing the divider from a suitcase, a handle 15 is provided in the form of a flexible plastic strap attached to the inner surface of base portion 11. One end of this strap is fastened to portion 11 by conventional means, such as the flat head machine screw 17 and retainer 18 shown in FIG. 5. For reasons of economy, the other end of the strap may be fastened to portion 11 with the same fastening means provided for fastening strut l4, and referring to FIG. 7, this is accomplished by use of a semi-flexible plastic rivet-like member 19, which extends through apertures in base portion 11 and handle 15 and into one end of strut 14. For more effective fastening, the shank of rivet 19 is preferably split into two halves, each containing outwardly extending fluted portions which cooperate with an inwardly extending flute on the end of strut 14.

In further accord with the invention, the bottom portion 11 of the divider incorporates a plurality of outwardly extending apertures 20 for improving the frictional contact of that portion with garments 9. These are preferably, but not necessarily, contained in two fields on either side of handle 15, and aid in preventing the garments from sliding out of position when the suitcase is being carried. They are particularly useful when the suitcase is lightly loaded with garments, since in that event sufficient downward pressure may not be available to prevent the dependent portions of the garment from sliding out of position. The apertures may be formed by a molding or punching operation, and as shown in FIG. 8 preferably extend outwardly from portion 11 so as to each place a circular edge into contact with the garments.

The divider is normally freely floating within the lower section of the suitcase, and may be shifted longitudinally, vertically and even transversely with respect to that section during the process of packing the suitcase. However, when the case is closed and the resilient curved wall 10 is compressed vertically with respect to the case, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the divider is locked securely in position to accomplish its intended purpose. Thus, a garment storage space of substantially uniform thickness, as measured from front to back of the stored garments, is obtained, and the garments are not unduly compressed, creased or wrinkled. It will be appreciated that the divider also functions to protect the lower ends of the garments from other items within the suitcase such as, for example, cosmetic cases, razors or the like, and to this end the end of base portion 11 may be molded outwardly during manufacture, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Thus, a novel divider element has been shown for use in a suitcase which is inexpensive to construct maintenance free and versatile in use. By simply changing its overall dimensions, the divider may be adapted for use in suitcases of widely varying sizes and dimensions. Because of its unique strut arrangement, the divider provides equally satisfactory performance in both lightly and heavily loaded suitcases, and does not depend upon a particular packing skill to obtain the desired results. Furthermore, the unique provision of a frictionenhancing surface at the bottom of the divider member insures that garments will not fall out of their desired position while the suitcase, lightly loaded, is being carried vertically.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and therefore, the aim of the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A suitcase divider for preventing garments stored within a suitcase from becoming unduly wrinkled comprising:

a flexible semi-resilient wall member of generally U- shaped cross-section having a substantially planar base portion at one end and a rounded apex portion defining a convex folding anvil for said garments at the other end, the overall dimensions of said member being less than the corresponding interior dimensions of said suitcase; and

means for restricting the motion of said other end relative to said base portion to prevent the roundness of said apex portion from being unduly diminished by compression forces resulting from said suitcase being closed,

said restricting means comprising a directing straight strut disposed between the inner surface of said apex portion and the inner surface of said base portion.

2. A suitcase divider as described in claim 2 wherein said directing strut comprises a rigid fixed-length memher.

3. A suitcase divider for preventing garments stored within a suitcase from becoming unduly wrinkled comprising:

a flexible semi-resilient wall member of generally U- shaped cross-section having a substantially planar base portion at one end and a rounded apex portion defining a convex folding anvil for said garments at the other end, the overall dimensions of said member being less than the corresponding interior dimensions of said suitcase;

means for restricting the motion of said other end relative to said base portion to prevent the roundness of said apex portion from being unduly diminished by compression forces resulting from said suitcase being closed;

said restricting means comprising a directing rigid fixed-length strut disposed between the inner surface of said apex portion and the inner surface of said base portion;

at least one end of said directing strut being detachable from said wall member for facilitating storage of the suitcase divider.

4. A suitcase divider for preventing garments stored within a suitcase from becoming unduly wrinkled comprising:

a flexible semi-resilient wall member of generally U- shaped cross-section having a substantially planar base portion at one end and a rounded apex portion defining a convex folding anvil for said garments at the other end, the overall dimensions of said member being less than the corresponding interior dimensions of said suitcase; and

means for restricting the motion of said other end relative to said base portion to prevent the roundness of said apex portion from being unduly diminished by compression forces resulting from said suitcase being closed;

the outer surface of said base portion being textured to increase the coefficient of friction between said wall member and said garments.

5. A suitcase divider as described in claim 4 wherein said textured surface comprises a plurality of offset ap- Cl'tllI'CS. 

1. A suitcase divider for preventing garments stored within a suitcase from becoming unduly wrinkled comprising: a flexible semi-resilient wall member of generally U-shaped cross-section having a substantially planar base portion at one end and a rounded apex portion defining a convex folding anvil for said garments at the other end, the overall dimensions of said member being less than the corresponding interior dimensions of said suitcase; and means for restricting the motion of said other end relative to said base portion to prevent the roundness of said apex portion from being unduly diminished by compression forces resulting from said suItcase being closed, said restricting means comprising a directing straight strut disposed between the inner surface of said apex portion and the inner surface of said base portion.
 2. A suitcase divider as described in claim 2 wherein said directing strut comprises a rigid fixed-length member.
 3. A suitcase divider for preventing garments stored within a suitcase from becoming unduly wrinkled comprising: a flexible semi-resilient wall member of generally U-shaped cross-section having a substantially planar base portion at one end and a rounded apex portion defining a convex folding anvil for said garments at the other end, the overall dimensions of said member being less than the corresponding interior dimensions of said suitcase; means for restricting the motion of said other end relative to said base portion to prevent the roundness of said apex portion from being unduly diminished by compression forces resulting from said suitcase being closed; said restricting means comprising a directing rigid fixed-length strut disposed between the inner surface of said apex portion and the inner surface of said base portion; at least one end of said directing strut being detachable from said wall member for facilitating storage of the suitcase divider.
 4. A suitcase divider for preventing garments stored within a suitcase from becoming unduly wrinkled comprising: a flexible semi-resilient wall member of generally U-shaped cross-section having a substantially planar base portion at one end and a rounded apex portion defining a convex folding anvil for said garments at the other end, the overall dimensions of said member being less than the corresponding interior dimensions of said suitcase; and means for restricting the motion of said other end relative to said base portion to prevent the roundness of said apex portion from being unduly diminished by compression forces resulting from said suitcase being closed; the outer surface of said base portion being textured to increase the coefficient of friction between said wall member and said garments.
 5. A suitcase divider as described in claim 4 wherein said textured surface comprises a plurality of offset apertures. 